Aaron Lewicki's Passion For Hockey Overcomes Obstacles

Aaron Lewicki has overcome adversity through playing the sport of hockey. (Photo by Ed Hyde)

Mar 18, 2010

One’s passion for the sport of hockey can never be
underestimated and that is certainly true of Ferris State
University’s Aaron
Lewicki.

Despite facing adversity during his lifetime, Lewicki has
managed to overcome each and every obstacle while living his
childhood dream of playing hockey.

To characterize the 22-year old’s life as a “roller
coaster” ride with it’s equal share of ups and downs
would be appropriate. Not only has Lewicki dealt with a
physical condition since birth, but he lost his mother (Sue) in
2007 to lupus and kidney failure a couple of weeks before reporting
to fall camp for his sophomore season. While some would let
the misfortune consume them, Lewicki has taken the “high
road” and is making the most of his abilities both
athletically and academically.

“I owe a lot of thanks to the people at Ferris State, who
were there for support when I needed it,” said Lewicki.
“Life is precious and the loss of mom has made me a lot more
focused on what I do. I’m committed to giving it my all
each night I step out onto the
ice.”

For giving his all, Lewicki was honored as the FSU Athletics
Department’s 2008-09 Jimmy Swears Courage Award winner for
perseverance and determination in overcoming a life-altering
situation.

A native of Livonia, Mich., Lewicki has been able to maintain a
solid balance in life despite the adversity. Born with
scoliosis (curvature of the spine), Lewicki’s daily physical
routine is unlike almost all others and having an understanding has
been
invaluable.

“The knowledge (about scoliosis) has helped me out
tremendously,” explained Lewicki. “There’s
more of a rhyme and reason to the type of exercises which I do,
such as strengthening my lower back muscles and abdominals. I
give a lot of credit to our (Ferris State) strength and
conditioning coaches for helping me to gradually strengthen my back
over the past few years in order to do many of the workouts which I
couldn’t do in the
past."

The strength gained by Lewicki has resulted in his best season
ever in a Bulldog jersey to date. The FSU right winger has
produced career-high numbers in almost every offensive category
with a current team fifth-most 23 points on 12 goals and 11 assists
in 38 contests. While his athletic exploits have been
noteworthy, Lewicki relishes his numerous academic achievements
which include being a three-time Ferris State CCHA Scholar-Athlete,
twice a recipient of the team’s Scholar-Athlete Award, and
the squad’s FSU President’s Academic Award winner for
maintaining the team’s highest cumulative grade point
average.

“Getting good grades has always been important to me and
they mean a lot to my dad,” said Lewicki, a finance
major. “I’m proud of these awards which I have
received because of all the time and effort I devote to
academics. It’s truly something
special.”

Playing hockey has also been special for Lewicki since around
the age of three when his father introduced him to the
sport.

“My dad excelled in baseball as a pitcher and even had a
tryout with the Cincinnati Reds,” Lewicki said.
“However, he liked hockey better. I also wanted to be
like Steve Yzerman and my hometown hero Mike Modano because of
their skills, leadership, and loyalty displayed to their
team.”

The path has taken Lewicki to the present where he has been a
key component in the nationally eighth-ranked 2009-10 FSU
team’s noteworthy 20-plus win season, which included a
third-place finish in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association
(CCHA) regular-season standings. For Lewicki, the success
achieved by the team in his final season as a Bulldog has been
uplifting.

“The last couple of years, we as a team, were progressing
mentally and physically,” said Lewicki. “But this
season it’s all starting to come together. This has
been a great senior year for me and I wouldn’t have it any
other
way.”

Lewicki’s “mind over matter” approach to life
has earned the respect and admiration of not only his teammates,
but the Ferris State coaching staff as
well.

“If I was to design the ideal Ferris State hockey player,
I would use Aaron as the model,” stated head coach
Bob Daniels. “He’s an
outstanding student and a tireless worker both on and off the
ice.

“Aaron is one of our hardest workers everyday in practice
and a leader in the lockerroom. I have never met anyone that
knows Aaron from a teammate, classmate or professor who has ever
had a bad word to say about him,” added
Daniels.

A testament to Lewicki was given at the 2010 CCHA Awards Banquet
when he graciously accepted the Terry Flanagan Memorial Award which
honors a player for perseverance, dedication and courage while
overcoming severe
adversity.